PALLIATIVE CARE WORKSHOP FOCUSING ON GERIATRICS

PALLIATIVE CARE WORKSHOP FOCUSING ON GERIATRICS

1.      Shamna Sheriff, Mohammed Jamshad  KK, Drisya Rajan C ,Hridya GR( Pharm.D, 5th Year 2016)

As Aptly said “you do not heal old age, you protect it, promote it and you extend it”. A workshop was conducted by the palliative care centre, mainly focusing on the Geriatric population, on 22^nd March 2017 at Perinthalmanna. Palliative care aims to achieve the best quality of life for the person with a life - limiting illness and provide a support for their family and carers. It provides necessary treatment for the deserving patients, free of cost.

Elderly people require specific attention to medications. The problem with Geriatric population starts with polypharmacy and extends up to non – adherence to therapy regimen due to lack of knowledge about drugs they take. Workshops are conducted on all Wednesdays as a part of active Palliative Care program in Perinthalmanna unit of Malapuram. Almost all the Geriatric patients were unaware about the drug regimen and therapy and about their medical condition, which was the main reason for non adherence to the medications. So as per the information and advice of Manuppa Kutteeri, Co-Assosiative, Pain and Palliative Perinthalmanna, we 5^th year Pharm D students participated in the workshop. Our main aim was to audit the prescriptions and provide counselling to the patients about their disease conditions and drugs that were prescribed to them. Drug interactions were checked for all the prescriptions using Lexicomp software and were reported to the prescriber (consultant physician at palliative care centre). Prescription errors were found and were informed to the prescriber, who made appropriate corrections in the same. More than 30 patients visited the palliative care centre and were provided with appropriative clinical pharmacists – interventions. All the staffs of the centre were extremely helping and supportive. We got appreciated by the consultant physician Dr.Sunubiya, Medical officer, Pain and Palliative Perinthalmanna for our interventions and works.

The workshop enriched the practical knowledge that needs to be implemented by the clinical pharmacists upon practice. It provided a platform to apply pharmacovigilance activities for the well being of the geriatric population. Since the fundamental answer to challenges in healthcare relies on engaging and empowering the individuals, such workshops play a vital role in our society.